Echochrome Gets A Sequel, While XBLA And WiiWare Each Receive Three New Games

A number of new downloadable games become available this week, and we’ve got the scoop on what’s worth your attention.

Echochrome was a media darling when it was first shown at E3 in 2007, but the game never quite found the commercial success it deserved. The clever and contemplative puzzle game remains one of the gems on PlayStation Network. This week the game is getting what amounts to a sequel, or at least a spin off. Downloadable through PSN for the PSP, Echoshift is an evolution of the concept first presented in Echochrome. The unique and minimal art style remains, but players are now tasked with “Self Co-Op” challenges, in which puzzles must be solved by cooperating with an earlier version of the onscreen character. The new game releases on Thursday, February 25th, for $14.99.

Xbox Live Arcade has three new games releasing this week, all today, February 24th. The first is Fret Nice, a fun platforming/music game that has already been out on PSN for the last couple of weeks. The game allows for traditional controller play, but also includes the option to use a guitar controller. This unusual genre mash-up will be yours for 1200 Microsoft points, or $15.

Greed Corp also hits XBLA today for 800 points ($10). The new turn-based strategy game from W!Games changes up traditional resource gathering and management gameplay, since over-harvesting can result in the land collapsing out from underneath of you. There’s a full single-player campaign, and up to 4-player multiplayer battles across 36 maps.

Lazy Raiders rounds out the Wednesday XBLA offerings. 800 Microsoft points ($10) will introduce you to the obese explorer, Dr. Diggabone, who is too lazy to go exploring tombs on his own. Instead, you’ll be asked to rotate the environments around him, sending him sliding back and forth to collect the hidden relics hidden within. If the good doctor isn’t to your liking, you can also send your own personal Avatar sliding through the tunnels and hidden rooms.

WiiWare also has a trio of new titles arriving this week, including Mouse House and Family! Go-Kart Racing, both for 600 points ($6). For our part, we were a little more interested in Ghostslayer, another 600 point title. The game sets you in the role of, you guessed it, a ghostslayer, as he uses his sword to slash down enemy ghosts on his way to taking down the ghost queen. The game includes Wii MotionPlus support for added precision to your sword swings, but the game can be played with a normal controller setup as well.